Please sign in to post.

Rome - Vatican Museums - Time Allowed Inside? Borghese Time Allowed?

Ciao and buon giorno:

I am a little bit confused with respect to sightseeing in Italy, particularly since it is known for huge crowds.

My question is:
When you buy a ticket to the Vatican Museums (17 Euros plus 4 Euro booking fee), are you only allowed to be in the museums/buildings for 2.5 hours? Or, are you allowed to leisurely stroll through all the galleries? I do not plan to take guided tours.

My second question is similar: At the Borghese Gallery, are you limited to two hours. Rick Steves' book says visits are strictly limited to two hours. Do the guards come in the galleries looking for you. How do they know how long you have been inside. It seems this puts a lot of pressure on visitors to look fast...not enjoyable nor relaxing.

Would appreciate any input. Thank you.

Posted by
1043 posts

When we went to the Vatican Museum, we were there half day. The Borghese Gallery does have strict time limits and they do come through an ask you to exit at the end of the two hours. For the Borghese, I would recommend the docent tour, it is excellent and it still gives you about 30 minutes on your own after the tour to revisit some of the sculptures.

Posted by
557 posts

For the Borghese it is timed. The entire group comes in for the two hours then they clear the museum before the next group comes in. Two weeks ago they were closing doors behind us. The time was strictly enforced. It is a great museum.

Posted by
34208 posts

They know when you went in at the Borghese Gallery because everybody goes in at the same time. No early starters and no late arrivals. In fact, if you aren't there at the time they say in your reservation (reservation only) they will resell your ticket and no reimbursement to you - it says so in the T&C.

So everybody in at the same time, everybody out at the same time. Then they let the next group in.

At the Vatican museums you go in at your reserved time (or wait in the very long queue for non-reserved) and you can be there all day if you like. It is pretty much a one-way plan, with the Sistine Chapel at the furthest point.

Posted by
15798 posts

There are about 200 people in each group at the Borghese. The doors open and if you are near the beginning of the line, you will be among the first in. The guards begin hustling people out a few minutes before the 2 hours are up. If you want to avoid the crowds, go immediately to the second floor and then make your way down to the first floor as most people are making their way upstairs. The galeries are not large, you'll have enough time to see it all without rushing.

The Vatican Museums are huge. Once you are inside, you can stay until closing. In addition to the main building to your left after you go up the escalator, there are a couple of small museums on the right and don't miss the Bramante Staircase on your right. There are gift shops throughout to galleries. Once you enter the main building, there is a one-way plan to visit which leads to the Sistine Chapel. Along the way are a few side rooms with additional collections (like the Egyptian and Etruscan). After the Sistine Chapel, there's a long walk through more much less interesting galleries to the exit. However, you can backtrack at any time before entering the Sistine Chapel, though in a couple of galleries you may feel like a salmon swimming upstream against the current. There's a cafeteria or two where you can get light food and drinks and you can relax for a while in the large courtyard too. The only place the one-way plan is strictly enforced is in the Sistine Chapel. I am pretty sure that once you exit it, there's a way to return to the galleries leading to it and eventually make your way back to the main entrance. If you don't think you'll have a lot of stamina or you don't want to spend a full day there, do some research on their website and decide which galleries you want to focus on.

The Borghese doesn't feel crowded. If there are a lot of people around a statue, go to another room and come back in 5-10 minutes. They'll be gone. OTOH many of the Vatican galleries are crowded much of the time.

Posted by
11833 posts

I have been the the Borghese three times and 2 hours was plenty of time. I am saturated by the end of two hours anyway and need a change of scene. We found the gallery’s audiomtoru very enlightening and we always started on the 2nd floor. Try to time yourself and stay no more than one hour on the second floor so you have time for the main floor.

Posted by
3112 posts

The Vatican Museum's traditional routing is essentially a big counter-clockwise loop with the Sistine Chapel about three-quarters of the way along the path. While you can only enter and exit the Sistine Chapel in one direction, you're free to roam the rest of the museum at your leisure. You can follow the traditional route, wandering off it from time-to-time to visit side galleries, or you can walk against the crowds in the opposite direction (but that requires some doubling back). Unless you're hoping to leave using the Sistine Chapel tour group exit (unsure if that's still possible), it's easiest to follow the traditional route and just take your good old time. If you hope to exit from the Sistine Chapel, then it's best to visit the Raphael Rooms and adjoining galleries first, return to the lobby area and follow the traditional route to the Sistine Chapel. If you prefer a leisurely visit, avoid the free day when it's crowded, some interesting galleries are closed and everyone's encouraged to follow the same route.